3Introducing Sixteenth Notes

Essential Drum SkillsLesson 003 IDS ISN

Understanding Sixteenth Notes

In Lesson One we divided the bar into 4 notes giving us quarter notes. In

Lesson Two we divided the bar into 8 notes giving us eighth notes.

Now we are going to divide each of those eighth notes in half again

producing sixteenth notes. They are called sixteenth notes, because they

divide a bar of common time into 16 notes.

You will recall that a quarter note is worth 1 beat, and an eighth note is

worth ½ of a beat. Now that we have cut the eighth note in half, we have

four notes per beat and therefore, each sixteenth note is worth ¼ of a beat.

You will see from the example below a bar of quarter notes, a bar of eighth

notes and a bar of sixteenth notes .

Lesson Objectives

Exercise 1: lesson003.idsisn.01

• Understand and be

able to count sixteenth

notes.

• Develop control of time

using single stroke

rolls to play quarter

notes, eighth notes and

sixteenth notes.

• Develop simple drum

fills using quarter

notes, eighth notes and

sixteenth notes.

Understanding Sixteenth Notes (using a Single Stroke Roll)

We introduced the single stroke roll in Lesson Two. Now, looking at the

following exercise you are required to play a bar of quarter notes, a bar of

eighth notes and then a bar of sixteenths round and round on the snare

drum (or practice pad).

Right Handed Single Stroke Roll

Example 1

1 2 3 4 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L

LESSON THREEIntroducing Sixteenth Notes

Exercise 2: lesson003.idsisn.02

Left Handed Single Stroke Roll

Developing Simple Drum Fills using Quarter Notes

Playing the drums really requires you to do two things;

• Play grooves

• Play fills.

We have in Lessons One and Two been looking at grooves. We are now

going to use the knowledge we have gained to play fills as well.

The next exercise requires you to play a simple bar of groove followed by a

bar of quarter notes.

The quarter note fill should be played around the kit, with beat 1 on the

snare, beat 2 on the hi-tom, beat 3 on the mid-tom and beat 4 on the

floor tom.

Refer to the drum map on page 4 which shows you which lines of the

stave relate to which drums and cymbals.

L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

LESSON THREE Introducing Sixteenth Notes

Exercise 3: lesson003.idsisn.03

Fills using Sixteenth Notes

Now, as before, play a bar of groove, but this time your fill is made up of a

bar of sixteenth notes.

Exercise 4: lesson003.idsisn.04

Reference Material

Take some time out to look at the next couple of pages which you can refer

to at any time in the future. These pages deal with parts of the drum kit and

the music stave for drummers.

There are many more reference materials available for you on our website

that are designed to help and support you with your studies. Visit the

website at www.gigajam.com

1 2 3 4 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

1 2 3 4 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

Drum Fills using Eighth Notes

The next step will be to play the same bar of groove, but this time play a fill

around the kit using eighth notes.

Introducing Sixteenth Notes LESSON THREE

The Drum Map

The standard arrangement for the different drums and cymbals on a drum kit on a musical stave follow a

logical pattern.

On the stave, the hi-hat

sits on the top space, the

snare in the middle space

and the bass drum in the

bottom space.

The toms drop down

to the right of a right

handed player and that

is kind of how they are

arranged on the stave.

Hi-Hat Snare Drum Bass Drum Hi-Tom Mid-Tom Lo-Tom

An electric drum kit in the

standard arrangement

The kit looks a little like

that, with the hi-hat

above the snare and

the bass drum sat on

the floor.

Hi-Hat

Snare Drum

Bass Drum

Hi-Tom

Mid-Tom

Lo-Tom(s)

Introducing Sixteenth NotesLESSON THREE

The Drum Kit Guide (Part 2)

Hi-TomStandard size 10” x 8”

The hi-tom, is a drum with skins on both sides of the drum. You play

the top head, known as the ‘batter head’.

The sound from a tom is generally rounded as the shape of the drum

is such that the two skins resonate together to produce the same tone.

Tuning is very important. In the majority of instances the bottom head

should be the same tension as the top head. You can vary the tensions

between skins, but this will effect the decay of the sound, after the

drum has been struck. If the bottom head is looser the sound will drop.

If tighter it will rise.

Mid-TomStandard Size 12” x 10”

The concept of the mid-tom is the same as the hi-tom, except that it is

usually slightly bigger and as such has a deeper sound.

The hi-tom and mid-toms are often referred to as ‘rack toms’, as they

sit either on or over the bass drum using a rack stand.

Floor TomStandard Size 14”x14”/16”x16”

The floor tom is the lowest pitched tom. It is called a floor tom as it

often comes with legs that sit the tom on the floor.

More modern versions of the floor tom now actually hang the tom from

a stand and are called either ‘hanging’ or ‘lo-toms’. They are all the

same though in essence.

Mid-Tom

Floor Tom

Hi-Tom

Introducing Sixteenth Notes LESSON THREE